Her Swan Song
by DJ Rocca
Summary: xJFx She no longer bound by her "failures" Her Swan song in a way. Drabble/Oneshot. Completed. Placed under Master Phant since they have no section for for his niece, Gabby.


Her Swan Song  
_She no longer bound by her "failures" Her Swan song in a way._

**Note: **I do not own Jungle Fury, just playing with them as usual.  
**Author Note:** This is a VERY short drabble that I've written, its not really been beta'd so I apologize since my beta isn't around.  
This is told through the eyes of Gabby Phant. This is my first Gabby drabble...finally! The Swan is not an animal I associate with her most times but I must say _major thanks to Mouse_ who helped me with the title and gave me the line under the title.  
**Timeline:** After "Fear and Phantoms"  
**Rating:** K  
**Genre:** Angst

As the night wanes on, the crushing pain of loneliness sits within me. For as long as I can remember, I've always been alone. I hate it. The kids at school thought I was strange because I sought perfection. If I didn't attain it, I was crushed. I had to be perfect, trying to impress my parents. Trying to capture their attention. To show them that they could show me some attention. Even a simple compliment would have made me happy. No matter how perfect I was, they never did. As I got older, I feared failure. I knew that if I stopped being perfect that would be the moment they would see me and I'd be a failure in their eyes. I couldn't risk it.

Out of my family, one person showed me unconditional kindness and attention was my Uncle. As long as I can recall he's been so ancient… he's revered in the family but no one pays attention to him. It saddened me, he told me his life story. The story of the Beast War, what was won…what he lost. He lived his life in exile and I though a part of me pitied him; I knew exactly how he felt because I was so alone. I think that is why I counted on him as I grew into my teenage years; he was always there with a smile and words of encouragement. I clung to every word, now my fear of failure not only included my parents, but him as well. After everything he did in his life, the pride he felt from just being my Uncle, I couldn't let him down by failing either. I had to succeed.

That's how I met Lily. When I first laid eyes on her, clothed in a sunny yellow with a beaming smile. I felt…warm. The joy that radiated from her, the light, the life, it made me think of the sun. She was so radiant and beautiful, cheerful and smiled so easy. She carried herself so strong and confident, something I could never achieve. Why should I? All my life I was convinced that failure was unacceptable and gave up so many things because of my fear. As we talked…well she talked, I listened I watched her steps. Each move was so graceful and elegant. Then she danced across the floor to quickly speak to one of her roommates. Even the simple, playful movement of her feet, her hips, her body took my breath away. She was such a beautiful dancer and I yearned so badly to be like her.

The man she spoke to, dressed in a chef's outfit with a smile in his eyes, regarded me in silence as she babbled to him about missing some of work to teach me some dance moves. From his description alone, I knew this had to be RJ, the son of the Shark Master. I didn't like how his eyes locked mine, it gave me the chills. There was something behind his eyes and I felt he could see who I really was. A frightened girl yearning for someone to love and notice her. His grin wasn't normal; it was wolfish, as my Uncle had forewarned me to make sure I wouldn't freak out. He nodded and moved his hand off her shoulder, to return downstairs. Her smile was bigger after his touch and I saw him cast one more look back at her.

I was intrigued. I have been told from my family, from random strangers, people murmuring in the halls sometimes that I was pretty. I've never had a guy show interest in me. I would feel eyes on me from some and it made me feel bad; they were only looking at how pretty I was, they didn't even know me. I yearned for someone, anyone, and someone to stop this stabbing loneliness.

Lily was a wonderful teacher and even put up with my neuroses. That spoke to me so much. Even though she didn't make it to my competition and I won second place, I felt…relieved. I had no one to hold onto, no one holding me back. I danced as best as I could and I was happy with second place. When I saw my Uncle again, though he was looking a bit worse for wear, his face lit up when I told him my news. He told me how proud he was of me. That gave me the courage and drive I had needed my entire life. I wanted friends, I wanted to date, and I wanted to have people in my life. I'm so tired of being afraid.

---End---

Feedback is love. I've had others mention they'd like to read more. If you do, let me know!


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